Lifeboat Naming Ceremony
and
Service of Dedication
 
You may remember that some time ago the Provincial Grand Master, Right Worshipful Brother Keith Alan Beardmore, attended a choral recital at the lifeboat station on the promenade at St. Annes on Sea.
Power house of lifeboat
The reason for his attendance, apart from the wonderful music, was to support the wife of one of our members, Worshipful Brother William Ainsworth, Past Grand Standard Bearer, a relative of our Provincial Grand Master.
Front of Cockpit
The concert was to help raise funds for the Royal National Lifeboat Association St. Annes Station for a new, state of the art lifeboat. The target was to raise £275,000 and the local community were working on raising this money.
Lifeboat in all her glory
On his way home, it occurred to the Provincial Grand Master that the Province could make a donation towards this project and the West Lancashire Mark Charities made an immediate donation of £20,000.  He also asked the Provincial Grand Charity Steward, Worshipful Brother John Sarti to prepare a petition for additional funding from the Mark Benevolent Fund.
R.N.L.I.   I.D. number
The petition was very favourably received in London and the Mark Benevolent Fund enhanced the donation with a further £80,000 which considerably helped the lifeboat station reach their target.
Cockpit
At a recent team visit to Semper Fidelis Mark Lodge No 880 a new Lodge Banner was to be Dedicated. The main emblem on the Banner being a statue of a Lifeboat Man looking out to sea on a rock.  The statue is to be found on St. Annes promenade adjacent to the pier. It is a memorial to the disaster that occurred on the 9th. December 1886 when a German barque, the 'Mexico', on a journey from Liverpool to Ecuador was caught in a storm and called for assistance.  Three of the lifeboats stationed on that part of the coast, the Charles Briggs, Laura Janet and Eliza Femley, launched a rescue.
President of the M.B.F. with P.G.M., Dep. P.G.M. and Ass.P.G.M.
The Charles Briggs rescued the Mexico crew, the Eliza Fernley was hit by a huge wave and capsized, only two of the fifteen survived and the Laura Janet had disappeared only to be found capsized off Southport with the loss of all her crew.
President with West Lancs Mark Executive
The 'Mexico' disaster was, and is, the worst disaster in the history of the R.N.L.I.
A Miss Barbara Anne Roberts, after whom the new lifeboat is named, passed away and left her estate to the R.N.L.I. which, along with all the other contributions, enabled St. Annes Station to obtain their new lifeboat, and after sea trials the Lifeboat was ready for hand over.
Mark members with wives and guests
On Saturday the 14th of April, a beautiful sunny day, the Ceremony of Naming and Dedication took place at the St. Annes Lifeboat station house.
Marble Plaque by Bro. John Smith
Before the Ceremony the Right Worshipful Provincial Master presented a marble plaque to commemorate the contribution made by the Mark Province of West Lancashire and the Mark Benevolent Fund. The inscription on the plaque was the work of Bro. John Smith a Mark Master Mason and a Monumental Stone Mason from West Lancashire Mark Lodge No. 65 in Liverpool.
Town Crier of Lytham St. Annes
After the Local Town Crier had called the gathered crowd to order, the chairman of the Lytham St. Annes Lifeboat Station welcomed the guests.  Inside the Station was the President of the Mark Benevolent Fund, Right Worshipful Brother Dr. John Wright Past Grand Senior Warden together with the Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master, the Deputy and Assistant Provincial Grand Masters, the Provincial Grand Secretary and the Provincial Charity Steward with their wives and other guests. Outside the Station among the many gathered there were many Mark Masons.
Launching Tractor
The lifeboat was officially handed to the R.N.L.I. and the Operations Manager accepted it on behalf of the crew.
There then followed the Service of Dedication by Reverend Anne Wood, after the opening prayer the sailors’ hymn Eternal Father, Strong to Save was sung.
Official naming including Champers
The reading was given followed by prayer, another hymn with a nautical theme Will You Anchor Hold was sang. Revered Wood then dedicated the lifeboat to the service of rescuing those in danger at sea. A closing hymn was sung by ‘Shanty Crew'.
Following the service light refreshment was served before we all dispersed to our homes.
President of the M.B.F and Provincial Leaders with commemorative plaque
Another display of charity work at its very best, with a little help from The Mark Province of West Lancashire and the Mark Benevolent Fund.
Words and pictures by W.Bro. Ernie Gavan